Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Thus far, Weeekly have rejected the popular girl crush trend for something sweeter and more approachable. In this way, their vibe reminds me of earlier K-pop generations. They burst on the scene last summer with the addictive Tag Me — a track they’ve yet to surpass (though March’s After School comes close). Unfortunately, new single Holiday Party hinges on too many 2021-era girl group tropes for my taste.
The song disorients us right from the start, unveiling off-kilter, chopped percussion. This settles into a straightforward beat that grows into a familiar tropical groove. Through it all, Holiday Party is built almost entirely from these percussive elements. I like this approach, but wish that more instrumentation would come in to inject the track with a new dimension.
Holiday Party’s sweet chorus is its biggest asset. It’s too reliant on chanting, but the melody is catchy and memorable from first listen. The girls sound great, coming together to deliver a campfire singalong that sounds carefree and exciting. However, this hook is repeated so often, with so little modulation, that it begins to wear thin as the song moves on. Holiday Party could have done with another blast of melody (maybe a post-chorus?) for more variety. The sing-song verses don’t help. They’re too throwaway to stick, and delivered in the familiar quirky-cute style that’s defined so much girl group output in a post-Twice world. I’d love to hear Weeekly tackle a more robust sound that lets them stretch their vocals. Holiday Party gets the job done, but lacks the kind of punch that would make it a great title track.
